I believe every voice matters. Not some. Not most. Every voice.

Every day, kids who stutter shut down. How many silent kids, hiding in the back row of class are actually brilliant — just pretending not to know the answers because they’re afraid to talk? How many young people are keeping their heads down or not making friends because they are terrified of being laughed at, ridiculed, or bullied for the way they speak?

For years I lived this way myself. I have stuttered since I was five years old and I wish there had been an organization like SAY when I was a child. I started SAY to reach out to young people who might otherwise never know the reassurance and relief of connecting with another person who stutters. I started SAY to affirm that every voice matters. I started SAY to help parents know that being an effective communicator is more important than being 100% fluent. I started SAY to make the world listen. I started SAY to inspire even the most quiet amongst us to embrace their voices and dreams.

Seeing a child give up on communicating is a tragedy that we don’t accept at SAY. Our dream is that each and every child will live out of courage instead of fear. Our expectations are high. We believe that young people who stutter can do whatever they dream.